Revelation: The Return Of Jack Harkness
by LadyGwenMidas
Summary: AU' Post Children of Earth. Three years have past since Jack left Gwen, unaware of her pregnancy. When he returns to Earth he discovers that he has a son, but the question remains, ‘Who is Gwen’s new boyfriend?’ Jack/Gwen.
1. The Neverending Story

**I can't believe I'm doing another one. Just a reminder this is set after Children of Earth, BUT it is also a continuation of Revelation and Revelation P2 which means CoE would have turn out differently, i.e. Rhys wouldn't have been in it (sorry Rhys). I never planned a Revelation P3 for those of you who are still following it (and thanks a bunch for your support). For those who haven't read Part 1 or 2 don't worry;) I wrote this chapter with you in mind. It should fill you in with all the relevant events of the first two fics, but if you're confused about something and can't be bothered reading the first two please don't hesitate to ask, just keep in mind that although this is written post CoE it is slightly AU. Oh, and Merry Christmas:)**

Three years of running as far away as he could possibly get and what did it amount to? Drinking, gambling on foreign planets where sex was the currency of the realm. He had gotten as low as he could possibly get, literally venturing into the darkest pits and uninhabitable atmospheres the universe had to offer, undertaking the impossible. He was the only person to have escaped a black hole with his life, only to be disappointed in discovering that, like death, that which we expect to find the great mystery that lies beyond, holds nothing but darkness. Inevitably, death stalked him wherever he went, and he came to realise that, like his shadow, it would always follow him, but somehow when he was thrown into that impeccable darkness it would somehow seise to exist for him. In the darkness, he was at peace. He felt like he belonged there. But without a shadow, how can a person truly be living? The darkness was the absence of life. Without being stalked by death, there is no life. Of course, for an immortal, there is no life or death. The only consolation is the sun. The sun gives life; the sun creates the darkness that follows in our wake. Take it away and that it when you truly have nothing.

For Jack, the sun was Gwen.

He had gone away, for however long it would take, because he had hated who he was. He was a danger to the ones he loved. He would always save the world no matter what the cost, therefore the world was what he needed escaping from. However, his journey of self-discovery had also come at a cost, and that cost was Gwen. He had abandoned her and in doing so he had also abandoned himself. The journey had not changed him, but simply made him realise that Gwen was the only person who had any hope of making him a better person. Just being with her made him want to be better, to be what she deserved. But he wouldn't keep putting her in danger. As long as he knew she was alive, he could just live with himself. And with no choice in the matter, to find that he could live with himself provided him with the solace that he so desperately needed to be able to return.

As he stood on the very spot he had last laid eyes on her, contemplating how in hell she was ever going to forgive him, he cast his mind back to the short time they had together, before the world scarcely avoided peril yet again. Gwen had tried to convince him to give her six months, but after seeing Alice he couldn't bare to stay on this planet any longer. He'd left immediately, after giving Gwen the proper goodbye she deserved. He'd said there was nothing, no one on earth that could change his mind. God, how he regretted the look on her face when he'd said that. He only hoped that she understood why he had to leave, or more importantly that it had nothing to do with her.

In the end it was Owen and Tosh which had brought them together. In their grieving, always in their grieving, would they find the light in one another to keep on fighting. Gray and John now seemed but a distant memory, but one he hoped he would never have to come to terms with.

John's betrayal came as more of a surprise than it should have been. John's love knew no bounds. His perverted sense of what was right had clouded his judgement to the consequences; that consequence being Gwen. The day that John had released Gray, the same day that he feared he would lose Gwen forever, still haunted him, stalking his every dream and every moment he thought of her in danger. Of course, it was the not knowing part that was really killing him. Whether she was safe, whether she was happy…the universe had kept them apart, but it had not kept her from his thoughts, no matter how many distractions he could find.

When he left her he thought it'd be easy for her, knowing that she'd been through hell and back. How could being abandoned compare to the horrors of that night? But no matter how many times his mind would go over the events of the past, he could only draw out the facts, never seeming to find a conclusion; very appropriate considering his life had no end. Sometimes his life seemed as though it were…one long day.

And the facts told him this:

1. Suzie, Owen, Tosh and Ianto were dead.

2. Gray had murdered Tosh in order to make him suffer.

3. John had released Gray.

4. Gray had kidnapped and raped Gwen.

5. He had killed Gray, his own brother.

6. He had killed Steven, his own grandson.

7. It didn't matter how his mind recalled these events, the fact was, and always would be, that all these things happened because of him.

Each fact branded him, burned into his skin his own visual illusion of the pain he had caused and that would forever be apart of him. Never could he forget these things; that was his penance. No forgive and forget, no recognising what he had done and moving on. There was no conclusion. Each number added to a long list of higher numbers that made up what he was: a monster.

His only hope, the only way he could be at peace with himself was for the women he loved to forgive him. He had decided long ago that until the day she died and an eternity beyond, that she would be his reason for living.

Not knowing how he was going to find her, he set out for the one place that, although no longer existed, was where they're story had begun. A story that had started and ended many times, but as that old saying goes: third times a charm.


	2. MerryGoRound

_The bay_

It hadn't changed on the surface, but underneath it was a burial ground. He didn't know for sure, of course, but he suspected it was filled in many years ago, the damage to the surface long since repaired. He thought of all those years of work, lost. The bodies laid to rest in the mortuary, now at peace in their final resting place. He regretted that couldn't even recall their names, except for those he had lost personally.

Same world, changed man.

He needed her, actually _needed_ her. She brought out the best in him. He had often wondered, if she had been by his side that final day, if he hadn't sent her away, would he have done what he did? Would he have listened to her if she'd challenged him? Or would he have gone ahead anyway and lost her faith in him? But it was too late for asking questions now. What was done was done. The only challenge now was seeking her forgiveness.

"…When I told you it was time for me to find a new life…I didn't realise at the time…my life may be endless, but I can't have a life without you, and I don't want to…" he began nervously rehearsing to himself. "And what? It took you three years to figure that out!" he supplemented on her behalf. "I know and I'm sorry. Please, Gwen. I want…I need my life back…" He buried his head in his hands and sighed. He couldn't put her on the spot like that. He sounded practically desperate and it was not in his repertoire to resonate desperation, even if he was desperate. No, he would approach this how he approached everything in life, with finesse and charm.

As he thought he began to wander in the direction of the tourist shop. While he was there he thought he might as well see what had become of it. Besides, they might have a phonebook he could borrow. In his path he came across the merry-go-round, something he decided he would try to avoid on his way back. As when his gaze followed the motion of the horses going round, he saw children, smiling and waving to their mothers, aunts and grandmothers who watched them with joy. He was about to turn away when by pure coincidence, there she was…short hair, standing by the merry-go-round.

His heart beat faster the moment he saw her and he stood for a moment not knowing what to do. She had caught him off guard without knowing it. He watched her in awe, convinced that if he even tore his eyes away for a second she would disappear. Guilt began to overwhelm him as he saw how happy she was, and he was sure the feeling would have been less if she were miserable. At least that way he had a chance to make her happy. But right now, she was glowing with happiness, and he could tell by experience that it was the kind of happiness that came from loved ones.

For a moment he wished that she needed him as much as he needed her, but then she would not be the Gwen that he knew and loved. Despite what he felt for her, watching her simply melted his heart and he found that he was able to smile at her contentment. But he could not watch her, or think of her, without feeling longing. He was drawn to her. Drawn to her beauty, her smile, her eyes, her laugh...Every atom of her being enchanted him. Just seeing her hair change from long to short thrilled him, and he couldn't begin to explain that. She looked more stunning than he had ever seen her. He even noticed the men as they passed by checking her out, and really who could blame them? She had change so much she was hardly recognisable, if it weren't for the fact that he once had the pleasure to memorise every inch of her being. For the sexy leather boots and jacket were gone and in there place, a women in a fitted grey long-sleeved dress wrapped tightly around her body with black tights. He had to practically keep himself from drooling when she turned around and he caught sight of her perfect arse…Unfortunately for him, when she turned back around this was the state she caught him in.

Finesse and charm…finesse and charm…he repeated in his mind as she caught his eye. He made no attempt to approach her or look away. He continued to watch her in anticipation of what she would do now that she'd seen him.

It was obvious she had frozen at the sight of him. It was as if she too, thought her mind was playing tricks on her and that if she tore her eyes away from his he would be gone. He had the strange sense that this was not the first time she had 'thought' she had seen him, but the longer the stare went on he could see the realisation dawning on her face.

And then fear set in. She quickly turned to speak to someone out of sight, before running across the square to meet him on the other side of the merry-go-round.

She stopped a few feet away from him. Close up he was even more stunned by her beauty. She looked as if she hadn't aged a single day since the night he left her. She persisted staring at him, but not as she had moments before in disbelief. Fear, a fear he could not understand, still plagued her features, along with anger and frustration.

"You look good," he managed to say in between the deep breathes she took that carried across the almost piercing silence. Truth was he had never been more afraid in his life, but he still maintained that cool character he had built himself up to be. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that she wouldn't be angry with him no matter what he said or how he acted. So he played that old Captain Jack card, or cover, that she knew intimately, and that he knew, she would see straight through and hopefully understand the real meaning behind all the innuendo. Apart from also using his cover for protection against himself, he also knew that it was the most familiar to Gwen and so maybe she would respond better. That or he would at least invoke a very furious response, which he'd already deemed better than none at all. So he had chosen to wear his armour.

"What are you doing here, Jack," she demanded, her nostrils flaring with rage.

"Oh you know, just thought I'd drop by see how you were doing," he replied casually, still smirking at her, his eyes occasionally roaming over her.

"You bastard," she said bitterly. "How dare you think you can just come swanning in and out of my life as you please!" she shouted.

"I'm not leaving," he said sternly, already breaking his routine to let her know that this wasn't just a casual visit. He'd stay whether she wanted him to or not. He stepped swiftly towards her closing the distance between them. "I made a mistake, Gwen," he said honestly, reaching out a taking her hand in his. He felt her whole body shiver at the contact and she turned away embarrassed.

"You can't be here, Jack," she whispered softly.

"Just say the word and I'm gone," he replied, desperately praying that she wouldn't turn him away.

She sighed and turned back to face him, her body relaxing a little. She glanced around her, surveying the area, before turning back to him.

"What is it?" he asked. She was clearly paranoid about something and honestly it scared him, as it was very out of character for Gwen.

"Meet me tonight at eight," she whispered, "The Waterguard, and don't be late." With that said she was off. She quickly pulled out of his grasp and ran back to where she had been standing before, just as the ride was coming to an end.

Now it was his turn to become frozen. What the hell had just happened? He'd already made up his mind to follow her when suddenly everything came crashing into place. He mentally kicked himself for not asking the obvious: Why was Gwen standing at the merry-go-round?


End file.
